I've been teaching with @qgis over ArcMap for multiple years. It's definitely more accessible to students, but it's striking to me how many still can't use it on personal laptops over the pandemic. (1/)

I teach at a university where most students *do* have laptops, which I know is often not the case. QGIS is certainly easier than Arc--no licensing issues to deal with and it works (reasonably) well on Macs. (2/)

But multiple students have still needed workarounds. Most common issues are available memory or outdated operating systems. I've looked into hosting a version online (probably on a Linux VM), but no clear models and would require some significant technical investment. (3/)

To make online work, I'd need to figure out how to help students handle cloud hosted files and (assuming Linux) a new operating system. And these may be students who already find technology difficult to navigate.

Moral of the story for me: open source software is useful in this situation, but it's not a panacea. Students who lack economic resources for updated computers still face challenges, and so access is still an issue. (end/)